


Scattered Stars, Or:"Help! Theres a gay alien in my pool!" [guitar riff followed by a 90's nickelodeon style theme song]

by NonsenseNotebook



Category: oneyplays, supermega
Genre: Alien AU, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, alien - Freeform, hell anyone could show up in this fic, i hope i can depict ptsd good, i just meant to make a silly thing and then i gave them serious emotions and problems, idk when but its gonna, if i do mess it up let me know, its gonna get GAY, maybe there'll be some chramin or ryatt who knows, tags will be updated according to what i have done, years of psychology classes better have taught me right, yes i did steal the kiss thing from starfire of the teen titans sue me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-02-04 01:24:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12760254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonsenseNotebook/pseuds/NonsenseNotebook
Summary: Julian didn’t know what he expected to see that night out by the pool, but it certainly wasn’t an alien refugee.





	1. Chapter 1

It was hot, unnecessarily so. By logic, night should be cooler, but then again he lives in California so assuming that the weather would follow logic would be asking too much. Even now, in the dead of night, steam lifted faintly off the surface of the pool. The lukewarm water on his feet didn’t help him feel any less irritated.

The only reason he was out here, in the too hot dark, was because one of his neighbors decided to have a party at three in the goddamned morning, and he couldn’t sleep. Sure, he could just call Chris and sleep over at his place, but he didn’t want to wake up his friend so late. He, unlike _some_ people, wasn’t fond of disturbing people’s rest.

He took this time to do some self reflection, waiting for the faint bass beats in the distance to stop their endless drumming. He laid back on the concrete edge, still warm from the day’s sun, and gazed at the starless city sky. He was almost thirty, and what has he done with his life? _Nothing,_ he decided, _nothing worth while, nothing worth being remembered by_ . Furry porn won’t land you in history books. Shitty comics won’t be passed on for decades, remembered fondly by a cult following. The most he had going for him was a silly youtube channel with his friend, and even that would be lost to the recesses of time eventually. It was stupid, he knew that, his dreams of being immortalized by his art. _Not even immortalized,_ he thought, _just remembered, even by a small few_. He so much about death, he just wanted to make sure he got to do something worthwhile before that time came.

Julian was shaken out of his funk by a light streaking across the sky. Much too fast to be a helicopter, or a plane. _A shooting star?_ He thought. _No, that's impossible, you can’t see any stars this far into the city._

It almost looked like it was getting bigger.

Like it was getting closer.

As the roar of the crashing object got louder and louder, Julian ran away from the pool, suddenly realizing that whatever it was, it was coming in right above him.

With a terrifying sound, the object, the _ship_ , crashed into the shared apartment complex pool, drenching Julian where he stood, just a few feet away.

There, in the deep end, lit up in a pleasingly dramatic fashion by the lights under the water, was a true to life UFO. Julian could only stare in awe. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, an egg shaped ship floating just above the surface, marked by characters unknown to Earth.

A loud pop, accompanied by a sharp hiss and a release of steam, and the hatch at the top was open. He was suddenly wracked with fear. He was about to be the first human to make contact with an extraterrestrial. God he hoped he didn’t mess it up. He didn’t want to be remembered as the first man who met an alien, only to immediately die because he offended it. That would just be humiliating.

It seemed like forever until something moved. A tall shape emerged from the craft. It was skinny, and had, rabbit ears? Even in the dark Julian could tell it was pale, almost stark white. He could also tell that it was badly hurt, eyes wide, skin marred with bruises and cuts. It was staring at him. He could feel its gaze in his bones, sharp, piercing. Afraid.

It passed out into the pool before he could say a word.

Without thinking, without even realizing it, Julian jumped in the pool after it. It needed help, it had come all this way for help, and it didn’t deserve to die here, in this crappy over chlorinated pool. He couldn’t see that well under the water, and it was hotter than ever, almost boiling from the aftermath of the crash. But his hand quickly grasped the other being. It was so soft, so light in his arms. He surfaced with a gasp, trying his best to tread water and adjust the alien so its head stayed above water. It was a struggle, one that made him wish he took that swim class his mother always pestered him about as a child, but made it to the edge of the pool, and slowly heaved the alien onto the concrete tiles. By the end, Julian was a soaked, panting mess, crouched over the unconscious extraterrestrial, holding its head in his hands. Panic is a terrible thing, one that makes you forget important skills like CPR.

“C’mon, c’mon, don’t end like this.” He muttered to himself, shaking the lanky figure softly. “I never even got to say hi, or ask if you were like, gonna kill us all, you can’t die like this, c’mon!” He brought the alien into a sitting position and started hitting his back. Did it even have lungs? Could it even breath oxygen? He wish he knew, wished he could do more. He was about to get up, to quit and go home, leave it for someone else to find, for someone else to take the blame for its death, when it started to cough. “That's it! Keep going, get rid of that nasty water, c’mon!” He hit its back a few more times as the alien sputtered up the water from its lungs.

He sat like that for a few minutes, holding the alien while it gasped, and took the time  to look at it, really look at it. It was white, not a pure, stark white like he thought, but close, tinted with a faint blue. It had large lips, heavy lidded eyes, and little nub ears that stuck out of the top of its head. In the dark, he could’ve sworn it had freckled. It turned to face him directly, breathing hard, looking at him with wide eyes. It leaned its head in closer, almost like it was going to-

It kissed him.

Julian could only sit there in shock, eyes wide open, as the alien locked lips with him.

It was over quickly, and the alien was back to staring at him again, except this time, its gaze felt far away, as if it was locked in thought.

Suddenly it sprang forward, hands on a tight grip around Julian’s shoulders.

“You gotta help me you gotta help me get away please please please I can’t be caught I can’t go back please help me please please please-”  It was rambling faster than Julian could keep up with, panicking as it tried to get the words out as quickly as possible. “Please they got everyone else I don’t know where I am please help me I don’t want to die ple-”  
“Woah woah woah! Calm down, breathe.” Julian pried its hands off his shoulders and looked it in the eye. “I’m going to help you.” He was terrified himself, but tried his best to keep his voice steady. “I need to know your name, and I need you to come with me.” He slowly stood up, helping the alien lean against him. He wanted to ask what happened, to get all the info he could, but right now he just needed it to calm down.

“D-Ding, Dong. My name. It’s Ding Dong.” His voice faltered as he stood on wobbly legs.

“Okay Ding Dong, we’re going to go to my apartment, and we’re going to get you patched up, and you’re going to tell me what I need to do to help you. Okay?”

“Uh, yeah, yes that's, okay.”

Julian smiled up at the tall alien, holding him firmly as they made their slow steps towards his apartment. He was already so attached to him, he was going to make sure that he was safe. The government these days was already so shit at treating humans right, he wasn’t going to trust them with an alien.

He registered faintly that his neighbor’s party was still going on, but he had bigger things to worry about.


	2. Chapter 2

Ding Dong didn’t know where he was. He had a faint recollection of what happened, of crashing, of water, of someone, he didn’t know who. But he couldn’t fit the pieces together to get where he was now, which seemed to be some sort of, bath room. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, it was nothing like the one’s on his planet. Had he already gathered the language of this place? 

There was a mirror. Had that always been there? His clothes were ripped to shreds, and his whole body was drenched in a strange smelling water. He was holding something. How long had he been holding these, clothes? A shirt, much too big for him, and a pair of, boxers, pair of boxers, with a banana print. Were they for him?

He closed his eyes and tried to gather himself. He was in shock, that was it. He crashed, and now he was in shock. 

There were voices on the other side of the door. They sounded, concerned. No. One sounded concerned, the other sounded, angry. He reached for the handle, maybe they could help. It wouldn’t open. He tried twisting it the other way. Still stuck. Locked. It was locked, and he didn’t know enough about this place to figure out how to undo that. Was there a code? Was it voice activated? He tried a again, harder. Maybe it was just stuck, maybe he just needed to use more force.

He dropped the clothes on the floor and started twisting the handle furiously. Panic started to seep into him, and suddenly he was back on his planet, in his house, trying to flee. They were being invaded, so many dead, blood everywhere. He watch his parents be slaughtered in front of him, the pink weapons of his enemies cutting through them like nothing. He had tried to get outside, to flee to the nearest escape pod, but his front door had been stuck then too. He only managed to live thanks to a nearby hall mirror, used it as a shield to distract them before running past them in blind hope that he would make it. 

Tears ran down his face. They were gone, everyone was gone. His family, his friends, he had left them behind, saved himself when he should’ve saved them. Now he was captured in some strange place, banging on another door he couldn’t open, waiting on the cold tile floor for some indifferent alien to come and kill him.

Then suddenly the solid mass of the door was gone, and he was enveloped by something large, and warm, and dry. He latched onto the warmth like a leech, sobbing into its chest as the thing, the human, just cooed and rubbed his back. 

“Hey now, what happened? Are you okay?” The voice was sweet and filled with concern. It was familiar too, and some of his memories came back to him. It was the human that saved him from the water. Julian. He had taken him into his home, he was helping him, gave him clothes, and broke open his own bathroom door just to help him. He wanted to thank him, to sing the praises of the infinitely kind Julian to the cosmos. All he could do was hiccup a sob into his chest and cling onto him. “Hey, Ding Dong? What happened?”

He swallowed his cries and looked up into the human’s face, so strange compared to his own. “I couldn’t- I- I couldn’t get- the, the door, it wouldn’t open. I don’t know where I am.” Julian giggled softly at his words.

“Don’t you remember? You’re in my home, I let you use the bathroom to change, I showed you how to use the lock? Chris even lent you a clean pair of underwear.” He nodded towards his taller, paler friend, who was pacing back and forth in the next room.

“I still regret that!”

“Shut up Chris!”

Ding Dong couldn’t help but laugh at the two, and at his own over dramatic reaction. He locked himself in the room, how could he have forgotten?

“Hey,” Julian was smiling, but his eyes were filled with a soft concern. “Are you okay? Do you need help getting dressed?”

“No, no I’m fine, I just, I think I’m still in shock?” He pushed himself off of Julian slowly. “I just, forgot what happened, is all.”

“See Julian! He’s a crazy alien! We gotta get rid of it, what if it wants to eat us?!”  
“Chris.” Julian’s voice was stern as he hefted himself off the ground. “He isn’t going to eat us. You’re just panicking and delusional.”  
“I’m delusional?! You’re the one who made out with a weird bunny slug alien creature from Neptune!”

“You don’t know what planet he’s from! And I’m sure there was a perfectly good reason for him to kiss me, right?”

It slowly dawned on him that they were waiting for his response. 

“Oh. That, uh, my people, we can uh, learn languages, from, lip to lip contact.” 

“See Chris, perfectly reasonable explanation.”

“BULLSHIT! That’s from fucking, Teen Titans or some shit I think, he’s lying!”

“Chris where would he even watch Teen Titans, he’s an alien!”

“I don’t fucking know!”

Ding Dong slipped back into the bathroom as they continued to argue. His previous clothes were an unsalvageable wreck. At least the new ones were clean and dry, even if the shirt threatened to slip off his shoulders at any given moment. 

* * *

 

It wasn’t long until the other human, Chris, had calmed down, and they were all sitting on the couch as the two humans treated his wounds. He winced as some kind of disinfectant was applied to his skin. It just had to be a universal constant that it was painful to use. After about an hour of quiet hisses of pain and mumbled apologies, it was Chris who spoke up first.

“Uh, sorry, about yelling earlier. It's just- I’ve never met an alien before!” Chris blushed slightly in embarrassment as Julian laughed. “Please don’t hate me, or probe me.” Julian started wheezing louder and pushed Chris away from him slightly.

“No, it’s fine, I get it, uh, my first encounter with an alien wasn’t that great so I get that you might be nervous.”

“Really? What happened?” The man’s voice was filled with wonder.

“They killed my family and blew up my planet.”

“Oh…” The room fell uncomfortably silent. Julian gently laid his hand on Ding Dong’s shoulder.

“Is that what happened, is that why your ship crashed here?” All Ding Dong could do was nod quietly, averting his gaze with the other two. Julian shared a quiet look with Chris, who nodded at him. “Well Ding Dong, you can stay with us if you want! The couch is a pull-out, and I always wanted a roommate.”

“Why don’t I get the wacky alien roommate?”

“Do you want to sneak past that weird government clean up crew outside? No. So he’s staying with me.” Chris pouted dramatically and made a show of folding his arms.

“Wait, what's outside?”

“Oh!” exclaimed Julian. “That’s right, you’re having like, memory issues tonight. Uh, basically a bunch of guys in stereotypical black suits came by after Chris got here, and started roping off the place. It’s best that you stay inside and away from windows for a little while, don’t want them to see you and like, dissect you or something.”

“Julian you’re going to scare him!”  
“Oh so now you’re all concerned for him?”

“Yeah dude, Ding Dong is my pal, right Dangus?” Chris slapped his arm around his shoulder. The thought of being dissected was, concerning, but there was something about the way the human spoke that was so comical that he couldn’t help but smirk.

“Yeah, I’m your pal.” Apparently that was all it took to get an armful of blonde hair in his face as Chris gave him a hug. 

Julian sighed as he stood up from the couch. “So it’s official then, you’re staying with me. And Chris, you can stay the night too, don’t want those guys out there getting suspicious. Now help me pull the couch bed out will ya?”

It took the two of them a minute to figure out how to work the bed, and a little longer for Julian to find enough spare blankets and pillows for them. In the end, Chris took up residence in the bathtub, because he ‘Didn’t want to get probed’. He was quite fond of joking about that, Ding Dong made a note to ask him what it meant tomorrow.

Ding Dong fell asleep almost immediately. The bed was stiff, but the blanket was soft, and for the first time since his last day on his home planet, he felt safe.


	3. Chapter 3

Julian found it surprisingly easy to sleep that night. The events had left him so exhausted, he conked out as soon as his head hit the pillows.

Unfortunately, his pleasant slumbers were rudely interrupted by the sharp, acrid scent of smoke. 

Chris had made them breakfast.

Julian and Ding Dong fidgeted nervously in their chairs as they waited for Chris to come out with the food. He had banned them from the kitchen, telling them that it was a surprise. A clatter of metal came from the small area of the apartment allocated for cooking, and Julian sighed as he watch Chris pick up the pans that he had just spilled onto the floor.

“Plates are the  _ top  _ cabinet Chris.”

“I knew that.” The irishman laughed, opening up his spice cabinet instead.

“Left hand side, next to the oven.”

“Right.”

Julian pulled up some mindless app up on his phone to pass the time. Ding Dong shuffled in his seat. Then there was a soft tap on his arm. He glanced up at the alien, who was wringing his hands nervously. Some part of him thought he looked cute wearing one of his old shirts.

“Uh, Julian?” His voice was just the slightest bit shaken. “Are breakfasts on Earth normally so,  uh, loud?”

“Not usually, its ju-” He was cut off by Chris slamming one of his drawers shut, which made Ding Dong nearly jump out of his seat. “That's just how Chris cooks. Loudly. It’s kind of how he does everything.” He shrugged.

“Oh.” Ding Dong said, wrapping his long arms loosely around himself. Julian slowly laid a hand on his shoulder, but even this was enough to make Ding Dong jump slightly.

“Are you okay?”

“Its… Its just that-”

“BREAKFAST!” Chris butted in, slamming down their plates onto the table. This time, even Julian almost fell out of his chair. “I made pancakes!” Julian took a moment to compose himself as Chris seated himself at the table and dealt out the silverware. His plate was already made for him. Eggs (scrambled), bacon (extra crispy, the cause of the smoke) and pancakes, all of which were shaped like different things. He looked at the other two plates, and was amazed at the effort Chris had put into them. Each of them had one shaped crudely like their face, and the others were various Earth objects. Cats mostly. “Sorry the bacon is a little burnt, I got distracted trying to get the designs right.” The man said, already stuffing his face.

“Chris,” He said, picking at his bacon. He almost didn’t want to eat the pancakes, didn’t want to ruin them. “These are incredible! Why all the effort though?” He continued, already cutting into the meal. It was soft and light, and had just the right amount of butter on it.

“To celebrate Ding Dongs first day on Earth!” He exclaimed, gesturing at the alien with his fork. Julian glanced over at him. He had yet to take a bite, still marveling at the pancakes. “That one is you!” Chris leaned over the table to guide Ding Dong about his food art. “And this one is a car! And this is my cat Django!”

“Cat?”

“Yeah! They’re little fuzzy animals that humans keep as pets. I got two of them, Yuki and Django,” Chris dropped the bacon back onto his plate half a second before it reached his lips. “Oh my fucking god I can’t believe I forgot my cats! They’re gonna be so worried, they haven’t been fed yet!”

“Chris, you got here like, not even ten hours ago, they aren’t going to starve.” Julian mumbled as he reached for more syrup. He nearly missed his plate with it, because Chris got up from his seat so fast he shook the table.

“No! I was at Amin’s last night, They haven’t been fed in like, a day. God their fucking litter box probably reeks.” He groaned, pulling on his jacket. “Hey, when is Amin gonna get to meet Dingus?”

“Uh,” Julian looked over at the alien again. He still hasn’t touched his food, and had now pulled his legs up on his chair with him, hugging his legs while resting his chin on his knees. “Probably not for a few days? We should give Ding Dong time to adjust to, everything. And we should wait for those government bozo’s to stop snooping around so much.” Chris nodded sadly as he put on his shoes.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

“Okay,” Julian sighed. “It’s Wednesday right? Bring him over Friday.” Chris was practically beaming. He clapped Ding Dong on the back.

“Oh, you’re just gonna love him Dongus, he’s a good man, a real weirdo.”

“It better be only him Chris.” Julian said sternly.

“Yeah yeah,” Chris waved him off, already at the door. 

“Chris, I mean it.”

“I know. Just Amin, no one else, I get it Julius.” He peered out the peephole before unlocking the door. “Bye Julio, bye bye Bingus!” And just like that, the apartment was silent again. Slowly, Ding Dong reached over to pick up his fork.

“That's not my name.” He muttered, which made Julian giggle a little.

“Yeah Chris can be, a bit much. But he’s kind, so if you ever need him to tone it down, just say so.”

“Okay.”

“Are you alright?”

“I, don’t know. I feel weird. I don’t normally act like this.” He was picking at his food, cautiously taking a nibble here and there.

“Hey,” Julian made sure that his friend could see where his arm was heading before he touched him, letting his hand rub against the alien’s back. “That's like, totally normal! You just crashed out of the sky from outer space! Not to mention, it, kinda sounds like something else happened before that.”  The taller man was silent, carefully trying to cut his pancakes. “You don’t have to tell me now. Or ever! Just, I’m here, okay?” The alien smiled, just slightly.

“Julian?”

“Yeah?” He stood up slowly to move his empty plate to the kitchen.

“Thank you, for all of this.” It looked like Ding Dong was trying his hardest not to cry. He thought it would be better if he didn’t bring that up though, so instead, he flashed him a warm smile.

“No problem, it's what friends are for.” Ding Dong shuffled up to sit straighter in his seat, picking up the pace with his consumption.

“Yeah, friends.” His smile was more obvious now, and Julian could’ve sworn he saw just the slightest hint of blue flare up on the man’s face


	4. Chapter 4

Ding Dong sat quietly on the still unfolded bed-couch hybrid. Julian was still in the kitchen, cleaning up Chris’s mess as quietly as he could. Ding Dong had offered to help him, but he refused, on the principles that he was not only his guest, but that he needed to rest. But his mind was doing anything but that.

It was frustrating, one second he would be on a train of thought, getting somewhere close to a handle on his situation, but the next second, his head was painfully blank. He felt like he was caught in a fog, awfully aware of what happened but still refusing to belief it. Just last week he was home, living a blissfully boring life. Now he was on an alien world, and yes he was lucky enough to land somewhere with kind people, or people at all, but it was still terrifyingly new. He had never been farther out than his planet’s closest moon. He couldn’t even fathom how far away he was now. He tried to focus on the positive.

Julian and Chris were nice, and while the food was strange, it was warm and good. The humans were shorter than his kind it seemed, and he no longer had to reach far up to get into a cabinet. He was pretty short for his kind. He was lucky enough to land somewhere with a similar atmosphere, although everything felt a bit heavier, and it was quite a bit hotter. He had a warm bed, and someone who had his safety in mind. He was alive, and that was more than he could say for others.

“Hey.” Ding Dong jumped as Julian sat down next to him. He hated that he did that now, jumping at every noise, flinching at every too fast movement. It wasn’t like him. “How are you holding up?” Ding Dong made his best effort to look the human in the face. They were so different, but there was something soft and comfortable in the man’s brown eyes, concern etched lightly in his face.

“I, don’t know, I guess?” He gave a half hearted shrug. “Everything feels kinda, foggy? Like I’m dreaming.” It was the closest thing to the truth. Julian’s face twisted up in thought. It was cute like that.  _ Woah, where did  _ _ that _ _ come from?  _ He thought to himself. _He's an alien you've known for less than 24 hours, cool those jets._

“Well,” Julian said after a moment of deliberation. “I’m nowhere near an expert on, anything that you might be going through, but, I think the first step might be to get you a hobby. Y’know, something to do while you’re cooped up in my place.”

“That sounds, smart I think?” He tried to give a small smile.

“Great! Uh, what do you, like to do?”

“I played video games a lot back home?” It was basically the only thing he did.

“Oh that is  _ perfect _ !” Julian said with a mischievous grin. “Give me like, two seconds.” He quickly left to his room. It took him about five minutes before he came back with an old box in his arms.

“That was five minutes, you said two seconds.”

“Oh hush.” Julian grunted as he dropped the box onto the coffee table in front of them. “Me and Chris found this old box of shitty games at a yard sale last week, but we haven’t been through it yet.” He explained as he opened it to reveal a multitude of dusty cases with markings that Ding Dong was only starting to understand. “I think most of them are for like, Dreamcast, so we’d have to borrow the one Chris has, but there’s a few for PS1 in here, and I still have my old one, so you can use that!” Ding Dong didn’t understand most of it, but he appreciated the gesture. He was glad that at least this world had video games. “I’ll get everything set up, just pick out one that looks cool.”

Ding Dong did as he was told, and began rifling through the strange games while Julian busied himself with getting the console set up.

“How ‘bout this one?” He held up a case with a strange zombie monster on it.

“Mad Panic Coaster? Huh, never heard of it. Maybe it’s good?” Julian popped the disc out of it and handed the case back to him. He traced a finger over the characters on the box, now knowing fully what they meant. It was going to be a while before he was used to this new language. Julian was on the pull-out again, nudging a controller into his hands. “Go ahead and knock yourself out, I gotta get ready for my part-time job in like, an hour.”

“You have to go?” It didn’t hit him until now how silly it would be to expect him to stay all day.

“Yeah,” He yelled out from the bathroom. “But don’t worry, it’s just a temporary thing, unless my shitty landlord ups the rent again.”

Ding Dong’s response was cut off by the sound of running water. There was a word for that. Shower? That sounded right. He turned his focus to the strange intro playing on screen, and tried not to focus on how strange and different the controller felt in his hand. He wanted to enjoy this.

* * *

 

The door startled him when it opened later that night, and Ding Dong is shamed to admit that, yes, he did scream a little.

“Are you okay?” If it hadn’t been Julian’s gentle voice, he would’ve gotten annoyed at being asked that constantly.

“Yeah, you just, spooked me is all.” He replied before unpausing his game and turning back to the screen. Julian walked past him, and called out from his room.

“You like the games? How many did you try out?”

“Just the one.”

“Really?” He said as he entered the room, now adorned with a fresh set of pajamas. “I didn’t think it would be that long.”

“It isn’t, this is my, I think sixth playthrough?” His eyes didn’t break contact from the game.

“You played,  _ this _ ,” Julian said slowly, glancing at the mess that Ding Dong was playing. “Six times?”

“Yeah! First time took the longest, they expect you to know what's coming up on the track ahead of you in advance, so I died a lot.” He relaxed a little in the short break between levels. “But after a while you learn the patterns of each level. It's the boss that’s the really hard part.”

“Really? What’s it like?” Julian yawned as he stole one of the blanket’s from Ding Dong’s bed and curled up in it next to him. Ding Dong smiled, ready to talk about his favorite Earth game (so far).

“I’ll tell you when I get to him, right now, let me talk about this shitty ice level.” His skill decreased dramatically when he was talking, but he was happy to do it, Julian contributing with little nods and hums, and the occasional question about what exactly he was looking at. It felt comfortable. It felt normal. It felt like something he could get used to doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking it over a bit more, I think that perhaps Acute Stress Disorder fits better than PTSD, as the traumatic events have so recently occurred. If anyone is like, in the holding of more than just two years worth of college psych classes, let me know how you feel, I want to make it accurate, or at the very least, non misinforming.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry i died for a little bit oops

Julian woke up alone on the hard springed mattress of his pull out couch, with a sore back to show for his decision. With all his groaning while he stretched underneath the blanket, he almost missed it, the faint sound of music coming from his kitchen. 

Sitting up, he glanced over bleary-eyed, to see Ding Dong, and the entire contents of kitchen laid out on his table. He apparently found his old radio, and was fiddling with the dial as he looked over the array of food and spices.

He stumbled over to stand next to him, both contemplating the foods before them. “So uh, what’s all this about?”

“That’s what i’m trying to figure out.”

“Elaborate, please.” he rubbed a hand across his face, knowing that he’d probably be the one to put everything back.

“Well, I woke up, and I realized, I know the words for your foods, but I don’t actually know what any of them are.” He picked up a banana to demonstrate. “I don’t know what this thing is, but-” he used his other hand to pluck at the borrowed boxers. “It’s the same thing on these shorts right? What is this?” He handed it over to Julian.  
“Uh, it’s a banana, it’s a fruit, you eat it, like this.” He peeled it open, amused by the alien’s awe. No use in wasting good fruit, so he took a bite. “See?” Ding Dong laughed at the way his voice was muffled by the food, that made him happy. He held the fruit towards him. “Here, you try it.”

Ding Dong looked skeptical about it, but took the offer nonetheless. His face scrunched up as he ate the small bite. “Its so weird! We didn’t have anything like this back home.” His face fell slightly as he said that. 

“Hey! You can use my computer to look up things, that way you don’t have to rely on me all the time.” That seemed to fix it. When he came back with the computer, the alien had already eaten all of his bananas. It only took a few moments to show him the password and how to access Google, it made him happy to see him happy at the prospect of learning things as basic as food. 

He left him to his own devices as he went along his morning routine. When he came back, half the food was put away, and Ding Dong was still rapidly searching things, and every few seconds he would get up to put another thing back in its place. Already he was the best roommate Julian ever had.

“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt-” He waited for the alien to look up at him. “But obviously you’re gonna need some clothes. I already made plans with Chris to go shopping today. I can see that my shirt is way too big for you but-” he felt so awkward about having to ask this “What about the underwear? Too big? Too snug?”

“Actually, they are a little loose on my hips.”

“Okay, so, I’ll just buy a size down, we’ll go from there, and I’ll probably grab some hats, maybe something to cover your face a little.”

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t want you to feel cooped up in here. You should be able to enjoy the outdoors if you want to, see the world and stuff.” 

Ding Dong didn’t respond, he only looked at Julian, his face unreadable. He hoped he hadn’t said something wrong.

“I,” Ding Dong’s voice was soft, “I don’t know what to say Julian, you’re too kind to me.” he sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

“Hey now, you don’t have to say anything, this is just, common courtesy.” Common courtesy wasn’t what he meant, not nearly. It wasn’t common courtesy to take an alien into your home, to give them a bed and clothes and video games. To start to have feelings about him. But he was never good with words, so it would have to do. It was enough for that moment though, and after a quick goodbye, he was out the door.

* * *

 

Ding Dong wasn’t feeling good. He had woken up with a feeling of dread, like he was about to die. Not to mention the nightmare he had, his brain forcing him to relive the day his planet was destroyed. Julian was still in the bed with him in the morning, and that helped some. He wanted to wake him, to ask for help, but the words clung in his throat.

Something else then, he had to find another way to keep his mind off it.

That’s what lead to him finding an old radio in the hall closet, and raiding the kitchen of everything. He wanted to know, to learn about this place. He thought if he could put a name to things, that it would help. It seemed like a good idea. 

But then Julian had given him his computer, and his mind started to wander. With each new thing he learned, he imagined what his friends would say about them. How would they react to a banana? The jar of paprika? A box of cereal? He felt so alone.

It didn’t help that Julian had left him alone for most of the day. He wanted to get up, go play a game again, take his mind off things, but his body refused. He sat at the kitchen table, computer forgotten, just thinking. He thought of how his friends could’ve died, about the absurd possibility that any of them could’ve lived. 

The apartment was too big when he was alone. He left like it was going to swallow him up. He tried to focus, think of anything else. His newfound emotions seemed like a good place to start.

His kind was always, cold. He had friends, sure, a family, but those relations paled in comparison to the friendliness he saw between Chris and Julian, even compared to the kindness they showed him. But now, his emotions seemed intensified. He worried to the point of tears about his friends from Chicago, something he would’ve thought ridiculous a week ago. Crying was something done while in intense pain, not because you were scared or worried. Then there was the weird feeling. The warmth in his chest when he saw Julian smile, the feeling that he never wanted to leave. It made him feel light when Julian looked at him, made him feel safe when he rested his hand on his shoulder or his back. It made his chest do flips when Julian dozed off beside them, filled him with wonder as he watched him sleep, even if he did snore a bit. That was the most confusing feeling. He had never felt something like that at home. At most there was a vague desire to see another safe and content, but never something like this. He knew this was something important, it had to be. 

Before he knew it, the door clicked open. Chris and Julian were shuffling in, bags in tow. Chris, he’d ask Chris, he decided. He didn’t want to make Julian uncomfortable with his emotions. 

“Honey i’m home!” exclaimed Chris, Julian laughing behind him. He forced a smile, he didn’t want to reveal that anything was wrong. “How ya doing Ding Dong.” He said his name like it was a joke, so he laughed along.

“I’m, fine i guess.” A lie.

Julian dropped the bags he was carried off in the living room before quickly hurrying to the bathroom. “You guys get to know each other better, I’m gonna be a minute.”

And then it was just him and Chris. The human dropped the few bags he carried and turned on the tv, flopping unceremoniously onto his bed as he flicked through channels. Ding Dong did his best swallow the fear in this throat and padded over to sit next to him.

“Chris?” He hated how his voice shook and his throat felt dry. The human humming in acknowledgement, and inclined his head towards him slightly. “I have, a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Well.” He took a breath and stared at his hands as he explained his confusion, his feeling. In the corner of his eye he saw Chris begin to smile as he told him about how Julian made him feel. “What, what is that? That feeling?”

Chris barked out a quick laugh. “It’s love dude, what, you aliens don’t have that?” 

“Not like this.” He recognized the word, heard it on the tv, in the games, on the radio, saw it online. It felt meaningful, a deep liking for something. “So Julian makes me feel, love?”  
“Yeah, it sounds like you got a big fat crush on the big fat man.”

“So… What do I do about that?”

“You tell him, then if he loves ya back, you make out and fuck and cuddle and shit, you know, couple stuff.” He didn’t know. He knew what all of those things were, but life relations on Chicago weren’t nearly as personable. You found someone with whom you were best genetically compatible, had a child, and that was about it. He wanted to do so much more with Julian. He wanted to make him laugh, to learn about the planet with him, to just be near him.

“Yeah, I guess I know.”

“How about we go through these clothes then, I don’t really want to get too involved with your weird gay alien mess.”

They both turned suddenly at the sound of Julian opening the bathroom door. Ding Dong’s blood ran cold at the thought of telling him, the fear of reaction making his heart race. Then there was something soft on his knee. Chris’s hand. He whispered to him in a heartfelt tone. “Don’t try to rush it dude, just let it happen when it needs to.”

Julian stepped into the room, gave a little twirl to show off the new pants he got, and Ding Dong felt a smile grow on his face. Maybe he did love him, but that could wait for now. He had all the time in the world for love. He was safe, all he needed to do was try his best to relax, and try on the bizarre clothes his two new companions had got him.


End file.
